Guantanamo Bay is abhorred abroad, scrutinized at home and feared by enemies of the state around the world.

This detention center has become such a symbol for United States mistreatment that President Obama has repeatedly faced criticism for not yet fulfilling his promise to close the prison.

But the president was wise to hesitate. Through it all, one question keeps coming up: What is there to gain?

It appears that Gitmo may be on its last leg. Obama, a former Illinois senator, has recently released a budget that calls for the purchase of a state-owned Illinois facility to the tune of $172 million to house Guantanamo detainees.

This came less than a year after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that up to a hundred Guantanamo Bay prisoners are too dangerous to be freed or tried. And now they’re going to be smack dab in the middle of the United States.

Obama’s move to transfer inmates to U.S. soil is questionable. However, from a public relations standpoint, Obama’s decision is quite wise.

Gitmo has often been portrayed by the press as a facility that, by its very nature, is capable and willing to shelter immoral acts from the public. These atrocities, such as water boarding or “aggressive interrogation” techniques, are viewed by much of the mainstream media as condemnable and unforgivable.

It’s time for Obama to stop focusing on good PR. It’s difficult to understand how bringing inmates into the United States is beneficial for anyone outside Obama’s sphere of influence. Not only does the move short the taxpayers of even more of the government’s much needed funds, but it also calls into question the integrity of the federal government.

While some politicians may feel they reap the benefits of such a politically savvy move, I can’t imagine how the current administration rationalizes moving inmates out of Cuba, allegedly for their own benefit, when it means simultaneously handing other inmates to the care of countries like Yemen.

The closure of Guantanamo Bay will not benefit anyone financially and may very well compromise our security. A stigma may be lost for a time, but I allege that waterboarding can be performed just as easily domestically as abroad.

Obama’s determination to vie away from Cheney’s self-proclaimed “enhanced interrogation” may last for a time, but when it comes to matters of life and death and issues of national security, he will be right to do whatever it takes to ensure domestic tranquility. And when it comes down to it, we’ll want these criminals out of the United States.